Improvement in car-axle boxes



M B. STAFFORD. Oar Axle-Box.

Patented July 9, 1878-,

Fig.2.

Fig.1. A

NEPETERS, PHOTO-LITNOGRAP HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAR-SHALL B. STAFFORD, OF FEE YORK, N. Y

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-AXLE BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,768, dated July 9,1878; application filed March 15, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown thatI, MARSHALL B. STAFFORD, of the city. county, and State ofNew York, have invented an Improved Oiler and Viper for Journals ofRailroad-Oars, of which the fol lowing is a specification:

This invention relates to a device for bringing up the oil to thejournals of the axles of railroad-cars and wiping the dirt from saidjournals; and oousistsin the features of invention hereinafter setforth, whereby the conductors of oil from the lower part of the housingare made, by the gravity or weight of parts of the structure, to bearagainst the journal and adapt themselves to it as the brasses or otherparts are worn away, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Said invention also consists in the combination, with the journal andhousing of a railroad-car, of strips of felt or equivalent textilefabric extending from the lower part of the housing up against the sidesof the journal, said strips of felt or other textile fabric beingconnected together and supported upon rollers, as described, wherebythey are made to move together in adapting themselves to the motion ofthe journal in the housing, substantially as hereinafter more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is avertical section, on theplane indicated by the line x 00 of Figs. 2, 3, and 4, of my apparatusarranged in a housing for use. Fig. 2 is avertical axial section of thesame on the plane indicated by the line y y, drawn across Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an elevation of that portion of my apparatus which conveys the oil tothe journal, and of most of the operative parts. Fig. 4 is a plan ofaplate designed to keep the remainder of my apparatus in properoperative posi tion.

A is the housing for the j ournal-box and concomitant parts. B is thebacking of the box, and G is the bearing brass or box. journal of one ofthe axles, to which the carwheels are attached. All these parts areconstructed substantially like those now in common use.

E E are two frames, which are jointed together upon an axis, 1), andpreferably provided with rollers a a at their lower ends, to rest uponthe lower plate of the housing, to facili- D is thetate the self-adjustment of the oilers and wipers to the axle, therollers giving greaterease of motion of the frames E E upon the bottom of the housing. Theupper part of each of the frames E E is shown in the drawings as formedof a plate, 0, which is reticulated, as shown, to allow free exit to thesuperfluous oil an (1 other matters.

F F are strips of felt attached, by stitches d or otherwise, to theplates 0 c, and extending upward from the bottom of the housing to thesides of the axle, as shown. These strips of felt, by capillaryattraction, take the oil from the lower part of the housing and conveyit to the axle, so that the axle is always supplied with oil, so long asthere is any in the housing to supply it. advantage of wiping thejournal constantly, so that any dirt or other impurities which wouldotherwise gather upon the journal and cause it to cut in the box, aretaken off and transferred to the felt, where they do no very materialharm.

I have described the strips of felt F F as bein g sewed orstitched tothe plates 0 0; but they may be attached to other and separate plates,which are adapted to fit upon the plates 0 c, or upon the end piecesthereof, in such. a way as to secure such separate plates in position,and at the same time make them removable without the necessity ofremoving the frames E E from the housing at all--as, for example, theymight be attached-to separate plates fitted to dovetail into the plates0 c, or to separate plates havin g pins or projections to fit into someof the holes in the plates 0 c, to hold them in place,

when it is obvious that the felts might be re moved and replaced withoutremoving the frames E E from the housing.

G is a plate placed in the lower part of the housing to keep the framesE E in place. It is shown as being supported on legs 6 e but these legsmay be made flat and placed opposite the rollers a a, and made tooperate as stops to the said rollers, so as to prevent their goingbeyond a certain position, if found desirable. This plate G also servesthe further and important purpose of checking the surg in g of the oilin the housing which would otherwise be caused by the motion of thetruck in passing over the inequalities of the road, and effectuallykeeps it from being thrown out They also have the further of the housingby such motion and wasted upon the wheels of the car, thereby efiectinga very great saving in lubricating material.

In the foregoing description I have represented the textile strips F Fas being kept up against the axle by the weight of the frames E E, and Iregard this device for keeping said strips in contact with the journalas an important part of the said invention; but the strips F F,extending from the lower part of the housing up against the sides of thejournal, and connected together so as to move together in adapting themselves to thevibrations of the journal, and thereby preserve the contactof both with the journal, present important advantages, irrespective ofthe particular device by which they are kept in contact with the saidsides, and their combination with the j onrnal, and irrespective of themode of applying yielding pressure to keep them in such contact andadapt them to the position of the journal, is also an important part ofthe said invention.

An inspection of the drawings will show that the form of the frames E Eis such that their weight, resting upon the rollers a a, tends to bringthe felt into contact with the axle, and

that therefore they will always bear upon the journal from the force ofgravity of the parts and no springs are necessary to keep them againstthe journal and in operative position.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore described, of the frames E E and the conducting-strips F F,adapted to be used in combination with the journal D, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the frames E E, of the adj usting-plate G,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination, with the journal and housing of a railroad-car, ofstrips of felt connected together by supporting frame-work, andextending from the lower part of the housing up against the sides of thejournal, and the rollers a (I, attached to said supporting frame-workand resting on the bottom of the housing, whereby the said strips offelt are adapted to move easily in unison to adjust themselves to themotion of the journal, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

MARSHALL B. STAFFORD.

Vi tnesses:

CHARLES (J. KNowLToN, THos. P. How.

